The three Trieste natives – Bruno Vatta, 33, Giovanni Yugovaz, 34, and Luciano De Gaetani, 33 – came up with the idea a few years ago.
The trio of electricians began building a vessel that could take them on the long and dangerous journey.
Three years of hard work resulted in the Camira, which was completed in 1966.
The ambitious Italians then began training for the trip, which will be sponsored by Lloyd Triestino.
During this time, Luigi Romolo, a 29-year-old mechanic from Rome, joined the project.
The four men will first sail to San Francisco, via Fiji and Hawaii, and will cross the Panama Canal, the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean to eventually arrive in Trieste.
According to their calculations, the trip should take around 18 months.
They will then return to Australia via Africa.
In the photo, on board the Camira, are (left to right): Bruno Vatta; Mr Moscatelli of Lloyd Triestino; the captain of the Galileo, Rodolfo Sangulin; Luciano De Gaetani; Luigi Romolo; and Giovanni Yugovaz.
